Have you been to X-Site amusement center inside Festival Mall lately?

In times of prosperity or hardship, Festival Mall (originally named Festival Supermall) in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City continues to attract families and shoppers. Since the mall’s early days in 1998, its amusement center X-Site kept on succeeding on attracting visitors and providing them bouts of varied fun in return to what the customers paid for. X-Site is a lively form of entertainment-focused capitalism that just keeps on moving forward and attracting visitors.

Located at the 3rd floor (note: officially referred to as the 2nd Level or 2L or 2nd Floor by the mall. The 1st floor and 2nd floor of the mall are referred to as Lower Ground Floor and Upper Ground Floor respectively), the X-Site Amusement Center has a wide floor space with a high ceiling.

The way it was designed, X-Site has several arcade games (lots of fun retro games included), merchandiser games, a virtual reality ride, KTV booths, motion-sensing dance spot, the ring toss, entertainment stores, indoor sports games, redemption games, bumper cars, and the indoor roller coaster (which explains the need of having a high ceiling). Watch below the YouTube video and the images I prepared below.

At the arcade games section inside X-Site.
Having a high ceiling made it possible to have an indoor roller coaster (tracks above the machines and people in this image). Other amusement centers in Alabang had lower ceilings which made their places feel small or tight when compared to X-Site.
Some newer machines plus indoor sports games added into the arcade games section.
This is the place for those who love dancing and music.

When I was much younger and Festival Mall was still new, I played lots of games at the arcade of X-Site. Elevator Action Returns, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament were some of the games I played there as far as I could remember. I never rode the indoor roller coaster because my fondness for roller coasters had faded away even before Festival Mall opened its doors (May 1998).

Back in 1998, I know a few friends whose had not even visited Festival Mall (at the time we talked) yet they already heard of the positive word-of-mouth feedback about the indoor roller coaster of X-Site.

The indoor roller coaster of X-Site remains a favorite ride for those who kept coming back.

On December 25, 2023, I visited Festival Mall to look around. I passed by X-Site and I saw an unusually large number of people there composed of young people, children and their parents/guardians.

For the newcomers reading this, December 25 here in the Philippines is a time of having fun during the Christmas season and also it is the day when the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) opens in cinemas. This explains why a lot of people spend time at the shopping malls and it is a cultural thing here in the Philippines.

Considering the fact that the original cinemas of Festival Mall have deteriorated leaving only 2 or 3 screens operating (note: the mall also has modern cinemas at the expanded side), a lot of people still visited the mall to watch the MMFF movies that opened on December 25. As for the large number of people who flocked to X-Site that same day, I can only speculate that some of them might have been moviegoers passing the time as they wait for the next screening of movies to watch.

I took this shot of X-Site on December 25, 2023. Look at the high number of people on the floor.

If you plan to visit Festival Mall in Alabang and if you are craving for fun rides or games, then you might want to visit X-Site Amusement Center.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

4th Asian Youth Games (AYG) set for September 7 to 17, 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced that the 4th Asian Youth Games (AYG) will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from September 7 to 17, 2025.

A total of 24 sports have been confirmed for the AYG which goes as follows: Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Football and Futsal, Hand to Fight, Karate, Sambo, Volleyball, Aquatics, Belbolgi Kurash, Chess, Gymnastics, Judo, Kurash, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Boxing, Canoe, Fencing, Handball, Jiu-Jitsu, Rowing, Taekwondo and Wrestling.

As per the OCA Constitution, athletes in the age group of 14 to 17 years will only be allowed to participate in the AYG. This is being done in order for these athletes to participate in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

To compete in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), athletes must be 15 to 18 years old as of 31 December in the year of the Games. The OCA aims to prepare future AYG athletes for the YOG, which is why it has aligned age limits with the YOG criteria.  This allows National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to adequately prepare their athletes for participation in the YOG.

The OCA states that athletes should be born not before 2008 and not after 2011 and should be between 14 to 17 years of age as of 31st December 2025.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Destination of the Year award for 2023 goes to Subic Bay

Recently the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) got recognized yet again in the field of sports tourism as it won the Destination of the Year award for 2023 during the 6th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards, according to the social media announcement via the FUNtastic Subic Bay Facebook page.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the social media post. Some parts in boldface…

From the post of FUNtastic Subic Bay on Facebook.

I personally have visited the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) from time to time since 1994. I have witnessed how much Subic Bay evolved as a tourism destination, a shopping destination as well as a special events destination. The tourism team of the SBMA has a long track record of sports tourism development and the hosting of many kinds of sports events. That being said, it is not surprising to me that the SBMA won another sports tourism award.

For the newcomers reading this, Subic Bay was the host venue of selected events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Each year, Triathlon Philippines (TriPhil) organizes the Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) there.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Have you been touring Subic Bay recently? Did you ever attend a sports event held in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Official website and social media presence launched by New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNIC)

In its pursuit to keep the public informed and oriented, the new operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) – San Miguel-led New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNIC) – recently launched its official website as well as social media accounts, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

For the newcomers reading this, the operations of NAIA were recently turned over to NNIC which is a private entity. NAIA is still owned by the national government.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

For your general reference:

https://www.newnaia.com.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/newnaiaph

https://x.com/newnaiaph

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? As a traveler, have you tried searching for relevant information on newnaia.com.ph? Have you been following NNIC’s accounts on Facebook and Twitter? Is the flight status tool of the official website working properly?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Chinese national arrested at NAIA Terminal 3 for stealing from judge inside the airplane

A Chinese national was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 for stealing the handbag and money that belong to a judge while inside the airplane, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. A flight attended saw the said Chinese traveler stealing from the judge who was traveling with two lawyers.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Did you encounter people stealing the belongings of others while riding the airplane? Do you think the arrested Chinese traveler knew that the judge was traveling with lots of money?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Rehabilitation of airport begins as government formally turns over NAIA operations to San Miguel-led group

The rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has officially started as a result of the government’s recent turnover of airport operations to the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) which is a San Miguel-led group, according to a news report by GMA Network. To be clear, the government still owns NAIA and the operations will be handed back by the private group many years from now. Over P140 billion will be invested on managing and improving the NAIA.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think that the NAIA operations will improve under the San Miguel-led group? Do you think this will lead to improved travel efficiency, convenience and comfort for millions of air travelers in the Philippines?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Filinvest Hospitality Corp. makes big bet on Philippine tourism

Filinvest Hospitality Corp. (FHC) announced that it is betting big on Philippine tourism with its newest move to add a few thousand more new rooms over the next five years to accommodate tourists, according to a BusinessWorld news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld news report. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think FHC’s addition of about two thousand new rooms will help the nation’s tourism industry a lot in the years ahead? Do you think our nation still lacks rooms for domestic and foreign tourists?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) promises Calamba-NCR-Pampanga travel by high-tech train in the future

If you are based south of Metro Manila and you intend to visit Pampanga without having to endure the stress of driving through vehicular traffic, then the high-tech train just might be the viable option as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) promised quick travel in the future, according to a GMA Network News report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news report. Some parts in boldface…

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, would you consider going all the way to Pampanga by train?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Hillsong Conference set for July 8-10, 2025

To all the fellow people of faith reading this, be aware that the next Hillsong Conference will be held from July 8 to 10, 2025 at the Hillsong Hills Campus in Norwest, New South Wales, Australia. Already, online registration for the next year’s conference is open and you can register now by clicking here.

For the newcomers reading this, Hillsong Conference is the annual worship event of Hillsong Church which draws a lot of people from around the world to worship Lord Jesus, to deepen their faith in Him and to interact with other faithful people. This should remind you that the family of God is spiritual, not biological.

The conference will have lots of activities about worship, Holy Bible studying, servant leadership, faith-led mentoring and more. There will also be pastors and other worship leaders who will be orienting participants who intended to deepen their faith in the Lord and realize their true purpose in accordance to God’s plan.

Attending Hillsong Conference is NOT about getting into religion at all. It is all about developing and edifying your faith in the Lord, to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and realize that Lord Jesus is the way to God the Heavenly Father.

For a greater understanding about Hillsong Conference, posted below is the official message from Hillsong Church’s Global Senior Pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley…

To register for Hillsong Conference 2025 online, click https://brushfire.com/hillsong/conference-2025/580249

For other details of the conference, click https://hillsong.com/conference/sydney/

About Hillsong ChurchHillsong is a contemporary Christian church. Overwhelmed by the gift of salvation we have found in Jesus, we have a heart for authentic worship, are passionate about the local church, and are on mission to see God’s kingdom established across the earth.

Hillsong Church was founded by Brian and Bobbie Houston in 1983 in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Now Hillsong has churches in city centres in 27 countries around the world.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 27

Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 John List true crime documentaries – In America, the late John List is one of the most notorious criminals ever in their history. At a very desperate point in his life, List murdered his own family members in 1971 and it took some time for the local authorities to find out what he left behind in their huge home. Having left his home and investigators behind, List traveled across the nation, came up with a fake identity and lived away from the law for almost twenty years. How the law enforcers tracked him down (involving America’s Most Wanted TV show) and arrested him is a great story to follow. All of these are documented in the two videos below.

#2 The Stepfather explanatory video by GoodBadFlicks  – Believe it or not, the story of John List inspired the creation of the 1987 psychological horror film The Stepfather. This video by YouTuber GoodBadFlicks is a must-see.

#3 The assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump – I really cannot ignore the assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump which resulted in the injury on his right ear, the death of a campaign rally attendee and one other person getting injured. Whatever your political views are, this is a tragedy and it clearly was not staged. It was indeed an attempt to kill and already the Satanic Leftist mainstream news media are distorting the facts and lying to you. To get clear insight on what happened and who the suspect (a very young guy who was a registered Republican voter who also donated money to support Democrats and far-left movement), watch the selected videos below.  

#4 HolyLandSite’s Mount of Olives video – Recently, the YouTube channel HolyLandSite published their newest video featuring the Mount of Olives in Israel. I personally visited some of the sites at the Mount of Olives featured in this video and in my experience, I witnessed the Holy Bible come to life and gained insight on what the place was like during the time of Lord Jesus. Mount of Olives was where Lord Jesus last stepped on before ascending into Heaven and He will arrive there sometime in the future. Watch the video below.

#5 Capcom’s failed case against Data East over Fighter’s History – Remember how popular Street Fighter II was in the arcades in the 1990s? Capcom made tons of profit from SFII which led to the production of sequels, spin-offs and other 2D fighting games that followed. Of course, as the fighting game genre became tremendously popular, there were other fighting games that competed with Capcom’s creations. Believe it or not, Capcom sued Data East alleging that their competitor’s game Fighter’s History infringed the copyright of Street Fighter II. To find out what happened, watch the video from Top Hat Gaming Man below.

6. Donald Trump nominated again by Republicans for President of the United States By the time you are reading this, the 2024 Republican National Convention has concluded a few days ago. Donald Trump has been nominated again for US President by the party, only this time the Republicans are very united and they were reinvigorated arguably because of the failed assassination attempt on their candidate. The Democrats meanwhile are divided and already their powerful members stopped supporting the re-election campaign of Joe Biden. The contrasts between the two parties are so great during the last week. If you want to see all the Republican speeches and the nomination acceptance speech of Trump (whose running mate is US Senator J.D. Vance), watch the Republican National Convention (night 4) below.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco